Racks of many different configurations are currently available in the food and beverage industry. A number of such racks are employed to store any type of beverage container, including without limitation bottles, boxes, crates, bags, kegs, barrels, and other containers capable of holding fluid. By way of example only, racks are often employed to support syrup containers used in post-mix beverage blending. As is well known in the art, the syrup in such containers is pumped, drained, or otherwise removed from the containers and is often mixed with water or water and gas to yield a post-mix beverage. In those cases where gas is mixed with the syrup, the gases can include carbon dioxide, nitrogen, a combination of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, or any other gas or gas combination.
An example of a fluid container commonly used in the food and beverage industry is the xe2x80x9cbag-in-boxxe2x80x9d container, whereby a comestible fluid (such as a beverage, a syrup or other beverage concentrate, and the like) is contained within a bag enclosed within a box for support. A tap and pump is often employed to extract the comestible fluid from the bag. For example, a tap can be positioned toward the bottom of the bag to enable the fluid to be more completely removed from the bag via a conduit between the tap and pump. In some cases, a metering valve is connected to the bag and pump in order to meter the flow of comestible fluid from the pump or bag. During post-mix beverage blending, a metered supply of syrup is typically mixed with water or with water and a metered amount of gas. Water mixed with comestible fluid from the bag is often chilled to a point within a temperature range in order to promote optimum saturation of gas within the water and syrup mixture.
Currently available comestible fluid container racks are often inadequate for the needs of many users, and even for the process of dispensing comestible fluid from containers on such racks (e.g. in post-mix preparation and in the preparation of other types of beverages). Such comestible fluid container racks can be found in restaurants, bars, concession stands, and the like.
Problems and limitations with conventional comestible fluid container racks include the inability to change the capacity of such racks (whether by changing the size of a rack or by easily and readily adding to the rack), inadequate provisions for mounting or organizing components associated with the dispense of comestible fluid from the containers, and rack designs that are difficult and time-consuming to set up, disassemble, and/or transport. Such components can include pumps, filters, valves, regulators, treatment devices, and conduits to connect such components.
The mounting and arrangement of such components in comestible fluid storage and dispensing systems also presents problems and limitations well known in the art (regardless of whether a rack as described above is employed). By way of example only, these problems and limitations include haphazard and disorganized systems and systems in which system components are difficult and time-consuming to service, replace, and maintain. In some cases, it can be difficult for a user or other party to even identify which components in the system are associated with which other components.
In light of the problems and limitations of the prior art described above, a need exists for a comestible fluid container rack that is expandable, adjustable, can be relatively easily assembled and disassembled, can be transported, enables a user to mount and/or organize components of a comestible fluid dispensing system thereon, is relatively simple in construction, and is low in cost. Each embodiment of the present invention achieves one or more of these results.
Some embodiments of the present invention provide a comestible fluid container rack for holding comestible fluid containers from which comestible fluid is dispensed. In some embodiments, the rack is expandable in order to connect additional portions of the rack for added rack capacity. In these and in other embodiments, the rack can be adjustable to meet the needs of various users.
In some embodiments, the comestible fluid container rack includes stackable rack modules. The rack modules allow a user to expand or reduce the amount of available space for comestible fluid containers in the rack by stacking additional rack modules upon one another or by removing one or more rack modules from a stack, respectively. This can enable users to purchase limited numbers of rack modules at a time to more effectively match the needs of the user. In some cases, one or more of the rack modules can be connected to vertically adjacent rack modules (e.g., located above or below the rack module(s)) by one or more couplings. The couplings can enable rack modules to be vertically stacked in a stable manner, and can permit the rack modules to be quickly disassembled, transported, and reassembled as needed. In some embodiments, the rack modules can be disassembled, transported, and/or re-assembled without disturbing comestible fluid containers and comestible fluid dispensing components (such as comestible fluid conduits, valves, pumps, regulators, filters, and the like) on the rack modules.
The comestible fluid container rack of the present invention can have rack modules with telescoping rails enabling a user to adjust the space between vertical supports of the rack. This feature can permit a user to adjust the rack or rack modules to fit comestible fluid containers of different sizes. In some embodiments, each rack module can be independently adjusted to accommodate comestible fluid containers of different sizes. This feature can reduce the need for users to rearrange or relocate comestible fluid containers when containers of different sizes are to be placed on the rack.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to the manner in which comestible fluid dispensing components are mounted (whether on a comestible fluid container rack as described above or to another structure). In particular, some embodiments of the present invention provide a bracket to which a valve, pump, regulator, filter, or other fluid dispensing system component can be releasably mounted. The bracket can be moved and secured to different positions along a rail in order to provide mounting flexibility for installers, those who maintain or service the comestible fluid dispensing system (or components thereof), and other users. For example, the bracket can be slidable and securable to different positions along the rail. If desired, the rail can be attached to a comestible fluid container rack, such as to the vertical supports of a rack.
In some embodiments of the present invention, a comestible fluid container rack is provided having one or more supports on the rack positioned to support one or more comestible fluid containers. Each support can include a brace adapted to hold and/or support one or more comestible fluid conduits associated with the comestible fluid containers. In this manner, the braces can be employed to organize and secure the comestible fluid conduits in the rack, avoiding the conventional practice of haphazardly routing unsecured comestible fluid conduits in the rack.
Further features and a better understanding of the present invention, together with the organization and manner of operation thereof, will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements have like numerals throughout the drawings.